tenant_
27-11-2010, 00:51 AM
Hi all,
You were so kind and welcoming when I posted here before that you were the first on my list for advice on deposit recovery.
As I said on my previous visit, I am a bloody lovely tenant. Never paid rent a minute late in my 12 years of renting, and houseproud, so LLs tend to get their place back nicer than I got it.
I have two queries:
1. I vacated a property on 1 November 2010. The LL is very difficult to communicate and deal with (she's the one that charges £400 for a tenancy renewal, and didn't fix a leaking roof despite 5 visits and several assertions to the contrary for 18 months. In fact, she still hasn't. Anyway, getting sidetracked...) She posted me a cheque for my full deposit a week later. That day I went out to pay the cheque in, and had my bag nicked. Phone, contracts, letters, cheque - the lot. I went to the police, they weren't sure if they had it, so I emailed LL immediately - to protect her security by letting her know she should cancel the cheque - and to request a new one. Have since tried to call and emailed again twice, but had no response at all. Do any of you have any ideas on what to do next?
2. A good friend of mine moved out of the same property (same landlord) August 2008. He called and called for his deposit, and was told "I have hundreds of properties - I haven't got the time to mess about with £600". Yeah. I know. I believe it got a little heated after that. But, self-employed and with a family and kids to support, he just wrote it off, as they were so difficult to deal with and he just didn't have the time to keep chasing, but I want to get his money back for him. There's also the possibility that the landlord gave the deposit to another departing tenant a year later, who, it transpires, possibly didn't pay his deposit - basically, the LL has given us each of the following explanation, which are all clearly self-contradictory:
a. We gave his deposit back.
b. We gave his deposit to A (the later tenant) on the understanding he would hand it over to J (my friend, the departing tenant) (A and J had never met, and didn't know each other).
c. J forfeited his deposit for not giving proper notice. (He didn't give official written notice, but I did on his behalf, for the correct amount of time, and found a replacement tenant.) And just for clarity, they gave us this 'explanation c' after the other two 'explanations'.
They lost not a penny on rent. Frankly, it seems to me the LL has done nothing that she were supposed to do. They put the original deposit in a Government-protected scheme, but didn't change the names when the tenants changed, or gave out money to someone with the wrong name (despite charging us £400 each time we renewed, for all the admin involved...). Or just kept the money themselves.
They have this money that is not theirs, and I would love some advice on how to get it back for my friend. Any advice will be so gratefully received (he's a roofer, out in this weather, trying to make enough for his kids' Xmas presents, and his missus has just kicked him out, and is denying him access, so he's crashing on sofas and is at the beginning of divorce proceedings. I know this info is superfluous, but he needs that £600, and regardless of any 'need', it's his money!) Thank you for reading such an arduous post all the way to the end!
Kindest regards to you all, and hope you're all wrapped up warm,
Very nice but severely frustrated tenant
You were so kind and welcoming when I posted here before that you were the first on my list for advice on deposit recovery.
As I said on my previous visit, I am a bloody lovely tenant. Never paid rent a minute late in my 12 years of renting, and houseproud, so LLs tend to get their place back nicer than I got it.
I have two queries:
1. I vacated a property on 1 November 2010. The LL is very difficult to communicate and deal with (she's the one that charges £400 for a tenancy renewal, and didn't fix a leaking roof despite 5 visits and several assertions to the contrary for 18 months. In fact, she still hasn't. Anyway, getting sidetracked...) She posted me a cheque for my full deposit a week later. That day I went out to pay the cheque in, and had my bag nicked. Phone, contracts, letters, cheque - the lot. I went to the police, they weren't sure if they had it, so I emailed LL immediately - to protect her security by letting her know she should cancel the cheque - and to request a new one. Have since tried to call and emailed again twice, but had no response at all. Do any of you have any ideas on what to do next?
2. A good friend of mine moved out of the same property (same landlord) August 2008. He called and called for his deposit, and was told "I have hundreds of properties - I haven't got the time to mess about with £600". Yeah. I know. I believe it got a little heated after that. But, self-employed and with a family and kids to support, he just wrote it off, as they were so difficult to deal with and he just didn't have the time to keep chasing, but I want to get his money back for him. There's also the possibility that the landlord gave the deposit to another departing tenant a year later, who, it transpires, possibly didn't pay his deposit - basically, the LL has given us each of the following explanation, which are all clearly self-contradictory:
a. We gave his deposit back.
b. We gave his deposit to A (the later tenant) on the understanding he would hand it over to J (my friend, the departing tenant) (A and J had never met, and didn't know each other).
c. J forfeited his deposit for not giving proper notice. (He didn't give official written notice, but I did on his behalf, for the correct amount of time, and found a replacement tenant.) And just for clarity, they gave us this 'explanation c' after the other two 'explanations'.
They lost not a penny on rent. Frankly, it seems to me the LL has done nothing that she were supposed to do. They put the original deposit in a Government-protected scheme, but didn't change the names when the tenants changed, or gave out money to someone with the wrong name (despite charging us £400 each time we renewed, for all the admin involved...). Or just kept the money themselves.
They have this money that is not theirs, and I would love some advice on how to get it back for my friend. Any advice will be so gratefully received (he's a roofer, out in this weather, trying to make enough for his kids' Xmas presents, and his missus has just kicked him out, and is denying him access, so he's crashing on sofas and is at the beginning of divorce proceedings. I know this info is superfluous, but he needs that £600, and regardless of any 'need', it's his money!) Thank you for reading such an arduous post all the way to the end!
Kindest regards to you all, and hope you're all wrapped up warm,
Very nice but severely frustrated tenant